Attachments - Files added to an outgoing email and downloaded with an incoming e-mail
Blended Threat - Combines characteristics of viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, and other malicious code with server and Internet vulnerabilities to spread itself.
Boot Sector Virus – A virus that affects a section of a floppy or hard disk that contains operating system. Each time you start your computer with an infected disk, the virus can spread
Bug - A programming error in a software program that can have unwanted side effects such as security issues.
Client computer - A computer that runs a client program.
Disabled - A status indicating that a program, job, or scan is not available.
Distribution - Measures how quickly a threat is able to spread.
Download - To transfer data from one computer to another. Usually over the internet.
Encrypted Virus - A virus that uses encryption to hide itself from virus scanners.
Exploit - A program or technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability in software to attack its host.
Heuristics - designed to detect previously unknown viruses based on known virus attributes or characteristics.
Hoax – Hoaxes usually arrive in the form of an e-mail designed to tick people into thinking there is some sort of security risk.
Intrusion Detection - A service that monitors system events used to warn about unauthorized system access.
Macro virus - A virus hidden within an application that must be executed in order to execute the virus.
Master Boot Record - The first logical sector on a disk containing the partition table and master boot loader.
Network – A number of computers connected together to share information and hardware.
Payload - The malicious activity that the virus performs to the host.
Payload trigger - The condition that causes the virus to activate its payload.
Polymorphic Virus - A virus that can change itself when it replicates to avoid detection.
Port - An interface through which data are sent and received.
Quarantine – A way to isolate files that may contain a virus so that the files cannot be opened or executed.
Threat assessment - The severity rating of a virus.
Trojan Horse – A virus that portrays itself as something other than a virus upon execution.
Upload - To send a file from one computer to another.
Variants - New strains of viruses that use some of the code from other viruses.
Virus - program or code that replicates itself onto other files and can affect many different things such as other program, files, documents etc, and cause various degrees of damage.
Virus Definitions - Software that identifies viruses by checking files against a profile of each known virus.
Worm - A program that makes and distributes copies of itself.
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